The Janitor Who Saved 53 Women and Died Carrying a Bomb: Carl Ross’s 65-Year Wait for Recognition. The facts, then. On September 19, 1961, Carl Ross, a 63-year-old Black janitor, walked into the YWCA in Terre Haute, Indiana, to start his morning rounds. He discovered a live dynamite bomb in the basement. The building above him held 53 sleeping women.
Ross did not run. He picked up the bomb with his bare hands and began moving through the building, knocking on doors and shouting to wake the women. He ordered them to flee. They left in housecoats and shorts, some without shoes, and were walked to a dormitory at Indiana State Teachers College.
Only then did Ross turn toward a side entrance, choosing the door farthest from the women. He made it to the stairwell. The bomb detonated. The blast tore off his arms and legs, killing him instantly. The damage was confined to the stairwell, shattering 35 windows in the building. The police opened a case that morning and closed it without an answer. No suspect was ever named. Theories included a disgruntled suitor or a “crank,” but no evidence ever held up.
For 65 years, the city did not publicly honour Ross. His family kept his memory alive, especially his niece Dee Reed, who became the historian of the Lost Creek Settlement. She spent roughly a decade asking the police and FBI for records. They had nothing.
In February 2026, a Black History Month banner with Ross’s face hung from a streetlight post in downtown Terre Haute. It was the first time the city had put his name in public view. Two weeks later, the City Council passed a resolution to rename a street in his honour.
On July 10, 2026, Carl Ross Memorial Way was dedicated at the corner of 7th and Cherry Streets. His great-great-grandson Jeffery Ross said: “I just wish that my great-grandmother and her sister would have been here today to be able to see it”. Dee Reed said: “This is a story that many of us, including all of us on the city council, believe should be known and recognized and remembered”.
The crime remains unsolved. But Carl Ross’s name is no longer erased. He saved 53 women. He died carrying a bomb so they could live. After 65 years, his city finally remembered.
Sources:
- WTWO/WAWV – Street dedication in honour of man who saved dozens of lives over six decades ago (2026)
- Substack – Jamal X on Carl Ross (2026)
- Find a Grave – Carl Ross (1898-1961)
- Yahoo/Tribune-Star – A hero’s belated due: Carl Ross Memorial Way dedicated (2026)
- WTWO/WAWV – Terre Haute to name intersection after local hero (2026)
- Indianapolis Recorder (via Lost Creek Settlement) – Carl Ross: The Lost Creek Settlement
- Tribune-Star – Terre Haute City Council honours a hero (2026)
- Tribune-Star – Heroic sacrifice to be honoured with Carl Ross Memorial Way (2026)
- VCPL Archives – Ross, Carl, 1898-1961
